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The extraordinary communities of Harvard Law School advance justice and well-being through innovative teaching, scholarship, learning, and practice.

Innovative Teaching and Learning, Connected to Practice

Harvard Law School (HLS) combines the resources of the world’s premier center for legal education and research with an educational environment designed to enrich individual and interactive learning. The result is a uniquely vibrant and collaborative community.

Harvard’s scope generates enormous vitality through its depth of academic options, wide array of research programs, diverse student body drawn from across the nation and around the world, and global network of distinguished alumni. Harvard Law School offers students a curriculum of unparalleled breadth: more than 400 courses, seminars, and reading groups that together reflect the remarkable range of the faculty’s expertise and interests.

Law students have many opportunities for intellectual engagement with faculty and classmates. Over 240 of our courses and small group seminars have fewer than 25 students enrolled. First-year sections have 80 students, and opportunities to work directly with faculty members abound. For example, all first-year students may join intimate (fewer than 15 students), faculty-led reading groups on topics ranging from cyberlaw to climate change to terrorism. Harvard’s extensive resources and collaborative approach create unmatched opportunities to prepare for leadership in public service, private practice, the judiciary, academia, business, or government.

HLS at a Glance

Established in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Read more about HLS history.

Approximately 1,990 students attend HLS each year:

1,750 J.D. students

180 LL.M. students

60 S.J.D candidates

The faculty includes more than 100 full-time professors and more than 150 visiting professors

The curriculum features more than 260 courses and seminars that cover a broad range of traditional and emerging legal fields

The HLS Experience

Our Faculty

Our Faculty

The centerpiece of the HLS experience is working directly with scholars who shape the landscape of American and international law. The faculty includes leading specialists in every subject area. Beyond the classroom, students provide critical support to faculty producing cutting-edge research and influencing the development of the law and of societies around the world.

Programs of Study

Programs of Study

To guide students as they move through the three years of law school and to create a tool for better coordination and collaboration between faculty members, the faculty has developed "programs of study." Students do not sign up for any program; nor should any student feel compelled to adhere to one. Instead, the programs of study reflect the best advice from faculty about how to approach particular subjects and potential careers.

The Clinical Experience

Hands-on Learning

The Clinical Experience

Hands-on Learning

The Clinical Legal Education Program is one of the most important and valued aspects of a Harvard Law School education, confirming our commitment to providing our students with the best possible educational experience.

Employment After Graduation

Employment After Graduation

More than 500 employers recruit on campus at HLS each year. Upon graduation, roughly 60–65 percent of HLS graduates enter private practice, about 20 percent enter judicial clerkships, and about 10–15 percent enter public interest or government work, business and industry, academia, or other unique pursuits.

International Scope

International Scope

Harvard Law School presents students with tremendous opportunities to engage in the world. With students coming from more than 70 countries to study here and with hundreds of current students going abroad each year to work, study, engage in research, or advocate for change, HLS is truly a global crossroads.

Public Service

Public Service

HLS strongly promotes public service. The school guarantees funding for summer public interest work, and over 480 JD students received funds to work throughout the United States and in 44 foreign countries in 2014. The Office of Public Interest Advising provides comprehensive services to students pursuing public service careers.

At HLS, a wide variety of extracurricular activities complement and enrich the classroom and clinical experiences. Whether exploring professional interests, serving the public, or merely socializing, students engage in an enormous range of activity on the HLS campus beyond the classroom. At present, there are more than 100 student organizations and journals at HLS. Student organizations based on social, political, service, or professional interests plan workshops, panels, concerts, networking opportunities, and conferences for almost every day of the academic year.

A Global Network of Alumni Leaders

The Harvard Law School alumni network is made up of more than 38,000 graduates worldwide working in the public and private sectors. The global network includes leaders in government, NGOs, law firms and the legal services industry, major businesses and corporations, public service non-profits, education, and arts, among other endeavors.